


The Sun Doesn't Choose Who Looks Up to It

by dmasiv, firststar46



Category: Hinatazaka46 (Band), Keyakizaka46 (Band)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:48:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22419526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dmasiv/pseuds/dmasiv, https://archiveofourown.org/users/firststar46/pseuds/firststar46
Summary: In the world where the flame of Passion defined the person, people fight on, and die out, by its burn. When an ambition burned too bright, however, it consumed others' in a wildfire.An incident from years ago left Saito Kyoko aimless until she stumbled across an underground act by the name of "Pure White Justice" who carried an agenda of questionable morality.Kobayashi Yui looked for a way to connect with one of her childhood friend, in order to find the truth of the accident that had drastically changed another friend of theirs.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 6





	1. in motion

In a world where the _abnormal_ defined the _normal_ , people were born with the blessing of a _Passion_ in addition to their assigned soul. The soul was the breath of life, while the _Passion_ was the fire that ignited them to _life_ , strengthening mankind beyond skins and bones, imbuing them with a power unique to theirs. A blessing as much as it was a _curse_.

In a world where the abnormal defined the normal, the balance was much easier to tip off - and the story didn’t _just_ unfold; it twisted out of its form, it glitched into something inhumane and shaped itself into something infernal, and it spiraled further out of control.

\--------------

_The petite girl returned home as a shell of who she was._

_The lights in her eyes gone, her bright smile disappears, and the worse of all how she no longer have a desire to sing._

_“I’m no longer fit to be one.” Imaizumi Yui answered her, giving her the same answer she would give. She stirred her iced coffee. “I just want to find someone nice to me, and settle down with him.”_

_It took her awhile to accept that her friend’s fiery ambition was snuffed out too. She had thought that hell have to freeze over first, but it happened. On the giant screen outside their cafe, appears Hirate Yurina, advertising her latest movie. The long haired girl looked at her other friend, who has gone to reach the Sun, as she seated with the one who burned her wings._

\--------------

_Do you know that Shibuya River?_

_Even if it’s just a little,_ _I want you to recall_

 _So that t_ _he river that flowed near t_ _he path that we always walked_ _will remain_

 _My love for you_ _will continue forever…_

Kobayashi Yui strum the last of her note, and the small crowd of people that have gathered for her gave her a round of applause. She bowed and thanked them for their attention, thanking those who buy one of her CDs even louder. Soon the crowd is dispersed and gone, except for one.

“Yuipon~!” A short haired girl grinned, waving her hand shyly. “You’re great again today.”

“Thank you, Oda Nana.” Yuipon packed her guitar, and pocket the money she got from the sale. Oda Nana, probably her biggest fan right now, still intently look at her. “... Is there is something wrong?”

“Uh, you asked me to help you with something today?” Oda looked unsure, perhaps now she is wondering if she’s imagining things or now. “Something related to Eclipse”

Eclipse.

Of course. How could she forget?

“Ah, yeah.” Yui smiled, and she could see a hint of red on Oda’s cheeks. She opened her bag and handed to Oda a stack of flyers. “I was wondering if you could help me share this flyer. It have the date of my upcoming live house performance, and QR code to my latest YouTube video.”

“You want me to share this in front of Eclipse?” Oda grinned. “Oh geez, this reminded me of some old Idol stories from back then! Doing their promotion in front of big agencies’ office and venues!”

“Exactly.” Yui grinned back. “Gotta learn from the classics.”

The younger girl try to suppress her sense of guilt as the two of them heads out together. The truth is that she want to make use of Oda’s power, one that allows her to amplify her voice and attract the attention of those who hear it. When they arrived at the place, Yui pretended to receive a call and groaned.

“Oh no, there’s an emergency at my part time. They need help.” Yui sounded really bad about it. “I’m really sorry, but can I ask you to do this on your own?”

“O-Oh yeah, leave it to me!” Oda quickly reassures as she lifted her stack of flyers. “I’ll make sure that everyone who passes will take one!”

“Just be sure not to force them.” Yui waved her hand as turn back the way they went. “I’ll see you in the live performance.”

But she never intended to go to the rail station. She took out a cheap DSLR camera she bought from a second hand shop, and wore her cap as she took a different path toward the agency building. As she come closer, she could hear Oda and sense the effect of her power, and once again realize how loud it is. With her distracting the people at the front, Yui finds a comfortable spot to hide in a corner, pointing her camera toward the back entrance of the building. This is where all the important people and top tier artists enter and exit the building, away from the public eyes.

Yui waited and waited. As the day is getting late, she know her target will soon have to leave the building, as she is not allowed to work so late at night yet. Oda’s voice disappear, and while Yuipon wondered what happen she hoped that she is safe and not caught in any problem for disturbing public order.

The back door swung open, and Yui’s finger is ready on the trigger.

A man exited the building first, looking around as a minivan drove out of the basement parking lot. The man opened the door, while a woman and a man exited the building, and behind them is her target. A younger girl she knew so well, who had transformed into a stranger. Hirate Yurina talked with the adults around her, not noticing how tense they were. Probably worried about the tabloid reporters, they could be a real hassle at times. Once she was inside, everyone piled inside the car and they drove away.

“Techi…” Yui softly whispered the name of her dear friend. How long has it been since she saw her, or even talk to her? About the same time Imaizumi returns… in that condition, so perhaps 4 or 5 years.

As the top most Idol of Eclipse, Hirate had become a being out of her reach. Today was the first day she saw her in flesh again after so long. Yui reviewed the pictures that she took, and sighed a relief to know that it didn’t seem that she had changed one bit. The question was _why_ her other friend, who went to the same training agency together with her, returned home with her Passion snuffed dead?

A sudden vibration from her phone broke her focus. There is one notification that reads “New Email: _Regarding the interview_ ”, and let out a relieved sigh when she sees the content. Yui took a good look at the agency building, wondering what could be happening inside, secretly hoping that the interview will help her uncover a small piece of it.

\--------------

It happened when nobody was looking and _only_ when nobody was looking, but Saito Kyoko behaved like every other white-collared person in the younger workforce when she was sure no one had her eyes over to her desk. She watched the clock hand moving in the most erratic gait and only tore her eyes off it when the second hand crossed over the number ‘12’. 

With neither business meetings nor seminars (that nobody asked for) taking place, the day dragged longer and Kyoko found herself lapsing into her routine-check of the clock’s second hand one time too often.

It took ages for the clock to give her the green light for her to punch out, and it took here another decade to get her belongings inside her bag while politely turning down her co-workers’ invitation for a drink. She made a half-cooked lie about the work tiring her out and devised a frozen cold promise about going with them on another day. He takes the hint, bids her a ‘see ya’, and then teleported ten steps closer to the lift.

She had something to attend to, today.

Or rather, _someone_.

It took another year for her to make her way out of the building.

It didn’t take a second for her to push a breath out in relief as she relished in the newfound freedom. The street was bustling with white collars catching up on the lives they’ve lost sitting behind the desk. The city lights glinted in a welcoming embrace. 

_Such is the mundane, mundane life of a 24 years old._

Kyoko walked on, recounted the grocery list in her head, then called her girlfriend to recount the day.

\--------------

Oda did not get arrested, which was great. She got a stern scolding and a subtle threat, which was bad. She wouldn’t be able to to ask for her help again. She was not that cold, she wouldn’t let anyone to go to jail just to get what she wanted. In any case, it was a good thing that Oda didn’t think much about it, and didn’t ask for anything unnecessary.

Yui mindlessly pressed her Suica, entering the rather crowded train station. It’s past the rush hour already, but it’s not surprising sight to be found in a big station at Friday night. She held her guitar case tighter as she made her way through the crowd trying to get to the platform she needs to go, when she noticed _her_.

A short haired girl with a short stature, she couldn’t really see her face as she was wearing a hat and had her hoodie on. She could feel that there was something weird about that girl, and odd feeling that she couldn’t shake off.

Just to be sure, Yui entered a small market section selling bento boxes and other quick bites. She entered a bakery located at the center of the section, pretending to look around even though there is not many variety to look at at this hour of night. The mysterious girl passed by the bakery, and disappeared from her sight. Yui let out a small sigh, perhaps she is watching too many detective movies. Not a good idea, considering what part time job she had and what goal she have in mind.

Yui settled on the cheapest bread she could find, and tried her best to hide her shock when she spotted the mysterious girl waiting in a corner. When she walked away toward where her platform is, she follows. There’s no doubt about it now, she’s being followed. But why? And who? She have to lose her.

She got an idea.

Yui headed toward the train bound to Shinagawa, entering with the crowd as soon as they are able to. The mysterious girl followed after, entering through a different door of the train cart. The number of people entering their cart seemed to increase with all the stations they stop across, which was perfect for her plan.

“Approaching Shinagawa station, Shinagawa station.” The robotic voice announced, and soon the train slowed down and came into a stop. The door opens, and the crowd of people poured out into the platform. Yui pushed out, and when she saw how the mysterious girl follows, Yui quickly switched her direction to enter the train again. The mysterious girl catch on, stepping on the train with the entering crowd, failing to notice that Yui never board the train again.

Their eyes met as the door closes perfectly, the girl not showing any ounce of surprise… Any emotion. It’s cold, fittingly fit with her white skin. Yui wasted no time and quickly sought for a train to head the other way around, to head to her next destination of interest before going back home, and the train departed.

\--------------

Kyoko was far from a superstitious person, but she knew that the man desperately needed a god, all the riches he has in his bank account notwithstanding.

He was an important investor of the Sugai Corporation. _Was_. He was then made a hostage of a rag-tagging rogues, in blindfolds, chained to a wooden chair in a decrepit-looking abandoned warehouse at the tail-end of the city. His toes were keeling as he cowered under the mercy of a company of three. Or two, and a plus one (the plus one being herself, standing a little further outside the circle, pretending she’s mostly uninvolved). His lips trembled in muted prayers. His gods didn’t give much reaction aside from the freezing cold stares that his covered eyes can’t take a sight of. 

His _gods_ were Sasaki Kumi and Sasaki Mirei - the most merciful of gods, for they were bound to worldly conveniences. For a couple of kidnappers that possess no intention to hold him hostage for ransom, they _sure_ kept him fed and hydrated enough.

“I,” He croaks, voice hoarse from distress, “I have a family. Back home.”

Kumi shrugs. “We all do, you’re not special. Me and Mirei have each other.”

Kyoko took note of Kumi’s awfully casual gait as the taller girl pulled a chair close by her hostage and sat on it backwards, arms atop the backrest. Mirei turned her head from a side to another, scouting for another chair, maybe.

“Daidoji-san, this is just between you and us. I assure you that we won’t bring your family into this.” Kumi talked to him with the scorn and disdain very well-hidden. “After all, it was you who invested some of your riches into the experimentations done on _that_ plantation. Not your wife, and certainly not your cute daughters.”

He visibly jolted at the mention of his daughters.

Like a microscopic being put under the watchful zooming of a microscope, his gestures were laid bare for the three of them to see. Mirei made an amused chuckle at his apparent nervousness.

Kumi turned to her. “This good-for-nothing might look like a sleaze, Kyoko, but you’ve got to believe me. He’s got some really cute daughters!”

Kyoko scanned what she could see of his face. “His wife must be a looker.”

“Yeah,” Kumi turns her attention to the man, “she’s doing alright, don’t worry. She left the city with her kids this morning. We tracked her to her parent’s residence.”

 _That_ reaction sent Daidoji’s entire body thrashing against his restraints. It was evident that the man still had a heart somewhere beneath his pile of corrupt doings. He looked strangely human, under all the begs and helplessness. 

Obviously, Kumi lied about his wife. Both Kumi and Mirei were humane enough to spare everyone else uninvolved. 

In the roiling noise and clanging of steel as a construction work was worked on half a kilometer away, Daidoji begged for another day, Mirei answered some non-answers, and Kumi listened in faux care.

Kyoko took her herself out from the conversation, fished her phone out of her bag, checked the messages, and scrolled over a _where are you right now?_ from “ _Aya_ ”. Three messages below was an appointment, due in a half an hour. 

“Kyoko, want to join us for dinner?” 

“I have an appointment, actually. So it’s a pass from me.”

Mirei looked at her in question marks. “You have no friends.”

Kyoko rolled her gaze skywards. “ _Because_ we’re not hanging out. Someone asked me if I’m available for an interview. I think she’s from the local press.”

Mirei laughed against the chair’s backrest. “Makes sense.”

Kyoko had walked five steps away when Kumi’s voice caught her gait of leg, stopping her from walking away further. 

“Will you be fine?”

“I think.”

And the cut-in by Kumi was _way_ too sudden, like the loud quiet right before a storm. “I’ll send people over, just in case. It’s kind of weird for the press to ask for you, specifically.”

Kyoko took a short pause, then nodded at the broad of Kumi’s back. “Thanks.”

It did struck her as unusual for the press to seek out a mundane 24 years old like her.

“See you soon, Kyoko.”

\--------------

The cafe was dimly-lit and everything in it looked pale and out of touch with the liveliness of Omotesando. The place stood in a corner that most would pass by without noticing their surrounding much, but that was exactly what made the place stood out for one Kobayashi Yui. It was a perfect place to converse.

Dimly-lit as it was, Yui could spot the five guests in there. She made the sixth.

Her eyes scanned for one _Saito Kyoko_ , trying to match Saito Kyoko’s descriptions of her physical appearance as she typed out in the message she sent a good ten minutes ago. 

Luckily enough, Saito Kyoko took notice of her looking eyes and waved a hand. Yui ushered herself to the two-persons seat Kyoko had gotten for themselves, right beside a glass pane window overlooking the other street.

“Saito Kyoko-san… correct?”

Saito Kyoko looked fairly harmless, she thought. A short stature, clad in a white collar get-up. She was as mundane as a mid-20 could get.

“Yes. Have a seat, Kobayashi-san.”


	2. down the rabbit hole

Kyoko made a quick assessment on Kobayashi Yui. 

She was most definitely at least 19 years old. She looked like she just had a run, but it looked like their appointment was the reason as Kyoko’s eyes caught the way Kobayashi Yui’s grip on the seat shook up in slight, subtlest tremor that only fear could procure. She went through the things in her bag as soon as she got herself seated, indicating that she didn’t find Kyoko suspect. All the details were a tantamount to her naivety.

Kyoko drowned her snort in the cooling Americano she had ordered.

“I apologize for making you wait.” Kobayashi Yui half-worded, half-heaved out. 

“It’s alright. I just got here myself.”

Having said that, Kyoko took another sip of her completely cooled down coffee and motioned an open palm with her other hand, giving the younger girl the green light.

Kobayashi Yui went on a tirade of very much scripted introduction with several cut-ins of nervous hums. Kyoko made a mental note on Kobayashi Yui’s affiliations and other details: she worked for the local papers. She definitely lied about this investigation being an addition to the column they were working on. She zinged through the definitely much-rehearsed intro, definitely showcasing just how much of a “new girl in the dept.” she was.

The journalist tested the water by asking some filtering questions.  _ Are you aware of the recent conspiracies surrounding the government’s involvement in the mysterious November 1 Incident?  _ Some of them got too specific, asking for Kyoko’s intensity in following the news and rumors.

“Only casually. It doesn’t interest me much.”

Kobayashi Yui had her eyes on the notes as she made a quick scribble. “It’s a huge buzz on the internet.”

“It’s impossible to ignore on Twitter, yeah, but I don’t actively follow the gossips.”

“Yes. After all…”

“The November 1 Incident remains a mystery to the public, but we’re all hungry for the  _ grisly details _ . The amount of guessworks people put into it is kind of amazing.” Kyoko cut her and saw the way Kobayashi Yui’s brows furrowed in defensive offense. “But, understandable. The little details on what had transpired and all the urban legends surrounding it make it a constant talk of the town.”

The November 1 Incident (the lack of creativity in naming such an  _ iconic  _ happening was astounding to Kyoko) encompassed the event that technically started from the day before: a huge fuckup that overturned a ten-years-standing government research facility into piles of rubble and grief in roughly thirty hours. Per government’s official releases, the facility was an institute that “nurtured” the talent of many, and a researching domain on the nature of a person’s Passion - the driving force that gave mankind the power unique to theirs. An accident happened as something drove some of the kids taken under the institute’s care to lost control on their flame of Passion and wreaked havoc as the madness “spread’ to many of the children. The rest of the details went undisclosed.

Though, there  _ were  _ survivors of the incident, and a great majority of them had integrated back to the society. 

Kobayashi Yui looked resolute in her words. “I’m not  _ entirely  _ doing this for the sake of gossips.”

Her behavioral cues did suggest something…  _ personal _ .

Kyoko decided to not pursue the topic further.

The question she had expected finally came in, murmured. “Are you familiar with the  _ Pure White Justice _ ?”

“The Twitter account?” Kyoko raised a brow in pretense.

“No - yes. Yes, the Twitter account. More or less, but, as you’ve probably known, they’re famous for their rather investigative tweets on the recent happenings in Japan. Scoops on politics, in particular.”

The  _ Pure White Justice  _ anonymously exposed corrupt public figures in Twitter posts and threads with convincing evidences to back them up. Independent anti-corruption organizations and at times, the police force, would pick up on their leads to apprehend the corrupt figures in Pure White Justice’s posts.

Kobayashi Yui continued, “They’re still anonymous this day. Flawlessly sneaky. They don’t jaywalk.  _ Never _ . It’s - it’s kind of amazing, to be able to keep it up for more than a year at the age of technology.”

Kyoko checked the time. A minute past 9 in the evening. She decided to try her luck, “Did the police ever track them down?”

_ April 23, 9:01 PM _

**真っ白な正義** _ @masshironaseigi _

Do we have your attention?

  
  


“They  _ tried  _ to, the one time they did an expose of a commissioner in the Kanagawa prefecture branch, but as you’ve probably guessed,” it was then Kobayashi Yui’s turn to check the clock on the wall on the opposite end of their table, “oh, it’s past 9 PM.”

“What’s the matter?”

“Oh, no, no. Pure White Justice said earlier during the day that they’re going to do an expose at 9 PM.”

_ April 23, 9:05 PM _

**真っ白な正義** _ @masshironaseigi _

The Daidoji family thrives in the comfort of subsidiary relationship to Takenaka Corps as one of Japan’s leading general contractors. It has gone through notable cover-ups since its founding in the late 1990s, but we’ll get onto that later…

  
  


Kyoko hoped she could look convincing enough when she checked her phone. “Someone is retweeting them onto my timeline.”

“Pure White Justice?”

“Yeah. They’re talking about Daidoji… I think I’ve seen him on the news before.”

Kobayashi Yui looked like she failed to resist the temptation of staying away from Twitter. “Daidoji Takeshi. He was reported missing around three days ago!”

“Freakish timing on Pure White Justice’s part, then.” Kyoko refreshed her Twitter homepage, fishing for updates.

  
  
  


_ April 23, 9:07 PM _

**真っ白な正義** _ @masshironaseigi _

We’d like to take you back to the November 1 Incident.

  
  
  


_ April 23, 9:09 PM _

**真っ白な正義** _ @masshironaseigi _

Would you believe us if we were to draw the line between DAIDOJI TAKESHI and mysterious group of investors behind the inhumane practices done in Facility #46?

  
  
  


_ April 23, 9:10 PM _

**真っ白な正義** _ @masshironaseigi _

We’ll break them down in tweets. Evidences. Answers to guesswork. 

  
  
  


“Kobayashi Yui-san, I know you didn’t call me here just to gossip about Pure White Justice. I’d like you to cut to the chase, if it’s alright.”

“Ah, yes. I didn’t mean to accuse you of anything, mind you, I’m merely… following leads, that led me to you and a few others, but I’m trying my luck.”

“Go ahead.”

“Saito Kyoko-san, by chance, are you the missing daughter of Director Akimoto Yasushi?”

  
  
  


_ April 23, 9:28 PM _

**真っ白な正義** _ @masshironaseigi _

HOW ARE YOU GOING TO REPENT FOR YOUR SINS, DAIDOJI TAKESHI? 

[ _ video embedded _ ]

  
  


“I…”

It was as if the air between them had frozen solid, forming icicles that poke into their skulls in the most chilling manner.

“You…?” Kobayashi Yui began.

“I,” Kyoko started, and simultaneously finished, “am afraid, that this method of going around asking random people if they’re related to Director Akimoto will not only waste a huge chunk of your time, but it  _ will  _ also wear you down.”

“Saito-san - “

Kyoko shot her back the most concerned look as she could foresee the journalist go on a blind goose chase for the next several months. “Yes. It’s ‘Saito’ and not ‘Akimoto’, Kobayashi Yui-san.”

They talked for another ten minutes before Kobayashi Yui curtly wrapped up their encounter with some  _ thank you _ ’s and  _ sorry’ _ s, and Kyoko answered it all with a few  _ don’t mind’ _ s and formalized promises of hangouts, saying that she’d like to hear more about the elusive Pure White Justice. Kobayashi Yui flashed her a smile. 

“You should smile more, it looks good on you.” was the last thing Kyoko said before Kobayashi Yui nodded and excused herself. 

She crossed to the other street, then disappeared from view.

The other patrons of the cafe all stood up, packed their belongings, and went for the door. Most probably to discreetly tail after the journalist. Kyoko was left the last man standing in the cafe, trying not to mind the suspicious stares coming from the cafe workers. 

She’ll give Kumi a piece of her mind later.

\----

How long had  _ she _ been there? How long had  _ she  _ followed her? She didn’t notice  _ her  _ until some moments ago, catching  _ her  _ at the corner of her eyes as she sat down to speak with Saito-san. Yui regretted her decision to leave, realizing that it should be safer to stay with Saito-san in the crowded cafe they meet in, and that she may have upsetted the older lady that she may not accept another request for an interview. But she cannot put Saito-san in danger as well, especially after cornering her with such a random sounding question.

Yui glanced back, keeping a high alert. She is pretty sure that the girl, the same short girl following her around the train station, is still following her from somewhere behind the crowd in this shopping district. It’s a good place to try to lose her, but Yui is not sure if her tricks will work a second time. Still, she got to try.

Yui entered a small ramen shop, the old couple welcomed her in unison from behind the counter as she close the door behind her.

“Can you tell me where the toilet is? I really need to go.” Yui shyly asked.

“Oh dear,” The old woman points her toward a door. “Just go there and you should find the door with toilet sign on it.”

“Thank you, Ah--” Yui pretended to forgot. “My friend should be coming in looking for me. She is a short girl, with a short hair. When she come in, can you serve her a tonkotsu ramen and gyoza? She asked me to order in advance.”

“Ah, sure. We’ll prepare it for her.” The old woman kindly nodded. Satisfied, Yui left toward the toilet. There is a small window above the toilet, which is perfect for her plan. She close the lid, stepping onto it and opened the window to take a peek. The back alley looks empty and safe, so she throws her bag over. Yui took off her shoes, and throw that too, when she could hear sound of conversation coming from the restaurant.

“Welcome! Here is your ramen and gyoza!”

“What do you mean? Your friend? Oh! She’s--”

Yui didn't bother hearing the end, as she hurriedly climb through the window. There is a wet and dirty sensation of her feet touching the dirty street but it’s not the time to be grossed out. She quickly puts back her shoes, and started running right when someone forced open the toilet door.

“Hey!”

“You better pay for that, lady!”

“That and the ramen!”

Yuipon made it back to the crowded street, waltzing her way through the crowd and crossed the street to the less crowded part of the shopping district, most of their lights have already turned off and their doors shut. Some people gave her a curious look as she passed them by, but looks disinterested. Yui took a sharp turn to enter a dimly lit alley between buildings, catching her breath. She was one of the fastest runner in her class, it’s great that she seems to retain some of her old athleticism.

“You’re a fast runner, I give you that.” Someone complimented. Yui’s eyes goes wide eyed from seeing her hunter, face to face. The beautiful girl doesn’t look tired, or even breaking a sweat, instead she looks  _ pissed _ . She took out a small switch knife out of her pocket, quickly approaching her in a quick stride. “Make this easy for yourself.”

“N-No!” Yui swung her bag, attempting to hit the girl. She easily evaded, and closed the distance between them. Her hand grabbed her clothes, and pushed her down with her weight. The knife was swung high, the blade reflected the light from nearby vending machine. She tried to kick back, but her legs felt limp. Only then she realized how scared she had felt, the shudder, and the coldness of the ground where some poor person would find her laid across dead tomorrow morning.

“If only you choose not to make any ruckus.” Her soon-to-be killer mused. “If you make too big of a noise, there is no choice but to silence you.”

Yui said nothing. She bit her lower lip, closing her eyes and look away waiting for the blade to pierce her body and end her. But instead there is the sound of a grunt, movement above her and a metal clang.

Yui braved herself to reopen her eyes, and saw the blade was then dropped on the ground, the girl holding her head with a painful look she never had seen before. The girl let out a growl-like voice, her right hand reached inside a pocket and took out a bottle of pills, but she dropped it as she opened the cap and let some of the contents spilled on the ground.

“A-Arghhhhh!!!” There was clearly something very wrong going on now. Not just about the girl, but… everything. The space around the girl seems to warp, creating some sort of an opening, that appears to be a hovering train door that lets out a dim light. It slides open and let the girl enter its nothingness, then closes again with the same quietness.

All the voices of the world came back alive, and suddenly there was only Yui left. She stayed in her place, trying to make sense of what had just happened. She wondered if she was just dreaming, or injected with a drug, but the supernatural door is still there in front of her. Cautiously, she crawled closer.

As if equipped with an automatic sensor, the door slid open for her when she was close enough. The wind coming in from inside feels cold, and it seems that it is filled with fog. Before she could decide what to do next, the door shut open again. It’s something unknown, but every part of her body tells her to run away.

Yui stood up, grabbed her bag and did as what her instinct was telling her.

\----

“So you're telling me that someone sent an assassin after you, who then actually managed to catch you, and was about to kill you when something weird happened, and out of nowhere come appear this… door, and the girl assassin disappeared inside it?” Risa slowly recounted everything that Yui have told her. The expression on her face turned soft, and full of worry. “You’re not… consuming anything illegal, right?”

“Risa!” Yui groaned.

“I gotta ask!” Her friend defended herself. “I know you are not the lying type, and I trust you, but it all sounds too crazy.”

The sound of late night variety program filled with the quietness.

“She said I made too many noises, so I had to die.” Yui recalled.

“Maybe you should stop.” Risa suggested again. “You should also sleep. It’s getting late, and you are in shock.”

“Then she looked so much in pain.” Yui sighed. “I don’t think she knows  _ what’s _ going on herself.”

“Maybe it’s her Passion going haywire. Who knows?” Risa suggested. “You are safe now. Thankfully not dead.”

“Is she?” Yui asked. “Do you think she’s still alive?”

“I don’t know. I don’t even know what is this door you are talking about.” Risa shook her head. “We can call the police tomorrow morning, okay?”

“But will she still be alive by then?” Yui realized. “Or maybe the door will disappear? And no one can ever save her?”

“Yui.” Risa called, stern and concerned. “She was going to kill you. And it is only because of some… divine intervention, and my best friend is still alive and safe. Obviously, I’m not going to let her charge again into danger.”

Yui exchanged a look with her, and without missing a beat, stood up.

“I’m going back there.” Yui reached for her bag. “I need to know, I need to find her.”

“Are you crazy!?” Risa shouted, loud enough to surprise Yui. “She was sent to kill you! She’s going to finish her job!”

“If she didn’t, another one will probably going to be send. If I save her, I could learn about who send her.” Yui paused. “I won’t hold it against you if you don’t want to come with me. But I will very much appreciate it if you do.”

“This is such a bad idea.” Risa whines, for the hundredth time ever since they left her apartment. “Why did I decide to come with you anyway?”

“Because you care.” Yui sighed, leading them through the quiet shopping district. The only stores left open are bars and convenience stores, and a little number of people hurriedly try to get home. “We are close.”

They took the turn into the alley, and Yui could hear how Risa held her breath.

The door was still there (which is great, because that means she’s not crazy). Somehow, it look less intimidating than before. Instead, there is a sense of curiosity. Yui noticed that the girl’s knife is still left on the ground, and decided to retrieve it as she approached the door. Just as before, the door slide open for her.

“Wait, are you going to enter!?” Risa held her shoulder, pulling her back. “Are you crazy? You don’t know what is inside!”

“But she’s inside. Alone, with God knows what.” Yui paused. “Risa, I want you to stay here. Just in case if… something happened.”

“What!? You know I--” Before Risa could go on with her scolding, Yui took the chance to slip to the other side of the door.

The first thing that came to mind is how cold it felt. Then came the fog, that limited her vision to only some meters. The door closed behind her, the fog obstructing the window from her. She ventured deeper into the unknown, gripping the knife on her hand.

“Hello?” Her voice echoes. “Anyone here-- Whoa!!”

She yelped, as she tripped on something hard and almost fell. A rail track, connecting a point to somewhere else, both hidden within the fog. A railroad signal nearby switched its signal to a blinking yellow and green light, and suddenly she could hear the sound of a train engine.

Just to be safe, Yui stepped out of the rail. To her amazement, a train actually appeared. She could make out the shadow, then the white train started to pass her by. Another thing that she noticed was how there seems to be movement from inside the train. A big shadow and a smaller one, running from cart to cart, fighting. The smaller shadow jumped but got caught by an attack from the bigger one, and it was hard enough that the smaller shadow is thrown out of the window.

Yui let out a surprised yelp, as the smaller shadow bounced and rolled on the floor. It stayed there for a while, making Yui thought that they have died, until it started moving to stand back up.

“You!” Yui is very well familiar with her supposed to be killer.

Her assassin looked at her and shook her head, “Oh great.”

The big shadow jumped out of the carriage, before the train disappeared into the fog. The signal changed to red, as red as the eyes of the werewolf in front of them. It howled, the echo somehow amplified it louder, so much it made her feel dizzy. Yui noticed the glowing red heart on its chest, pulsating with life.

“A newcomer,” an eerie non-human like voice spoke in her mind, sniffing and studying Yui. “Fool,” it grinned, before suddenly lunge forward. Yui jumped to the side just in time, the werewolf doesn’t stop, and instead enter the fog that surrounds them. It feels like it’s growing thicker, but maybe it’s just her imagination.

“Give me your knife.” The assassin studied their surrounding, as she opened the palm of her hand, waiting. Impatiently, she turned at her. “What are you waiting for?”

“How can I know you’re not going to stab me with it?” Yui questioned.

“Seriously? I would gladly do that if you want it so bad.” The assassin groaned. “I have a bigger problem.”

“The creature, what is it?”

“... I have no idea. All I know that it keeps trying to kill me.” The assassin snapped her fingers. “C’mon now, give it to me.”

The logical argument that the weapon will be put to a better use in the hand of someone who know how to use it wins inside her head, so Yui reluctantly returned the knife.

“A small blade.” The creature spoke from inside fog, its shadow darted from one direction to another, raising the sense of danger. “You think it can save you.”

“Don’t answer it.” The assassin whispered.

“No one will look for you. You have no home.” The creature taunted. “A small cog in the machine. Easy to replace.”

“It’s speaking to you.” Yui came to a realization as she noticed the way the assassin’s countenance hardened. “It’s talking... about you.”

\---

The “underworld theater” was a hall built on fantasy and held up by the sheer exclusivity of it all: it was a place for the damned, the lost, and the people who purposefully lose themselves.

It had no name, but Kumi decidedly call it the “underworld theater”, for the novelty of it. She coined the name two years ago.

It had been two years since they’ve been doing this…

So when they heard the men Kumi sent after the journalist reporting to them that the “journalist disappeared into some kind of wacky portal”, Kumi immediately knew what would entail, as a seasoned veteran from all the trips they had in the past two years of their misadventures as  _ Pure White Justice _ .

That time, Kumi hung up the phone, leaving the men clueless after telling them to scram, and that their pay would be on the way. She drove both Kyoko and Mirei with her to the “wacky portal” reported.

As the seasoned veterans they were, they quickly made way in hurried but watchful steps for the higher levels of the audience seat, keeping themselves glued to the outer ring of the large hemisphere that shaped the theatre in its vastness. Kumi’s 350-degree vision allowed her to spot the steps faster, with Mirei keeping watch at the tail-end and Kyoko sandwiched between the two Sasakis.

They got themselves seats high enough to overlook roughly the entire theatre. Mirei ransacked her own rucksack for three pairs of binoculars.

“The fog’s getting in the way.” Kyoko was the first to point out as they tried to lean closer, reclining against the seats in front of them. “I can’t see shit. Can you?”

“These changes on the theatre means someone’s facing their…  _ other self _ , right? Since the theatre’s interior adjusts to the  _ overburning  _ person’s subconscious. Someone’s  _ overburning _ ?” Mirei nudged Kyoko with her elbow. “Should we jump in? If they die, we gotta bury them. I don’t feel like doing burial for anybody.”

Mirei made a good point, Kyoko thought to herself. Collecting corpses had always been her least favorite pastime. “What’s your call, Captain?”

“Hmmm,” Kumi sounded like she was genuinely mulling on the choices available, “I say we sneak closer first.”

“And if they  _ die _ ?”

“We give them a burial. The heck are we supposed to do?”

“Point.”

“Thing is, we don’t know who they are, so let’s just keep an eye on them for now. Who knows? If they turn out to be real good, we’d have someone else out there doing the saving for the  _ overburning  _ people. If they look like they need the help, we jump in. Miipan fights well. We both can be her meath shields. How’s that sound?”

Kyoko sighed. “If they turn out to be real good, they  _ could  _ kick our asses.”

“Yeah, well, that too. So let’s just play the spectator’s sports for now, yeah?”

\---

The assassin didn’t answer to the creature’s taunting questions, but from her expression Yui could tell that she was right. The creature grinned, showing its teeth, taking a leap toward where they are standing. It landed between them and growled, before diverting its attention back toward the assassin. It swung its claw, but the assassin skillfully evaded, landing a couple of slashes to the creature.

“Futile attempt.” The creature seemingly smirked. “Fight all you want, in the end--”

The line was cut by a loud ring. The assassin holds her head, her face contorted in pain just as before. Yui noticed that the creature was experiencing the same pain, its heart’s glow pulsating faster. The sound disappeared with the train, and with it seemingly the pain. The creature retreated back into the fog, while the assassin is left kneeling on the ground. A cold burst of wind suddenly blew, revealing the trail tracks around them. A signal lamp, somewhere inside the fog, changes their color from red to green. Train whistle is sounded, followed by the sound of engine and the headlight shining out of the fog. The creature growled and stepped back as two train passed in the rails, one to the right and another to the left, separating them.

“Are you okay?” Yui approached.

“I’m not…” She paused. “But thank you for asking.”

“We are not safe here.” Yui offered her hand, which the assassin coldly ignore, she try not think too much of it. “Do you think we can ride the train?”

“Ride the train?” The assassin asked. “I- I think so. I rode it to run from it.”

“How do you to that?”

“I’m not sure. I think it… responded to my unconsciousness.” As if on cue, a door on the passing train slides open. The two girls share a quick look on each other, then break into a jog to ride on it. The door closes as it reenters the fog, their surrounding is gray and empty.

“The creature is in pain, just like you.” Yui thought she should mention.

“I have noticed, yes.” The assassin brushed it off.

“You know what it is.” Yui frowned.

“I…” The assassin bit her lower lip. “I heard about something like this. But I thought it was just some wild, crazy rumor.”

“Well, do tell me about it.”

“It’s a part of me, in a way. My  _ fire of Passion _ manifested, or something, I don’t know really. I don’t think anyone else does--” A loud crash from the back of the train, accompanied with a slight tremor could be heard. A howl was enough to tell what caused it. “As you can see, it's very determined to kill me.”

“Well that’s bad isn’t it… For now, let us move to the frontmost carriage.” Yui said, as they started to run past the carriages. “The glowing red thing--”

“Its heart.” The assassin cuts in. “The creature is fast, I can’t get close enough, even with my power.”

They arrived at the the frontmost carriage, the driver room unsurprisingly empty. The sound of trashing and howling keep getting closer, without slowing down. The assassin took a better grip of her knife, settling into a battle stance.

Soon they can see a black shadow crept closer from a far, ripping out the door without ease, its big size inside the small cart made it look more monstrous than before.

“No more running.” It grinned, drool dripping out of its jaw.

It attacked first, met by the assassin halfway. The two of them moves quickly, Yui noticed how unnatural it is. It could be that their power both have something to do with speed. An idea formed in her mind, one of the rare chances where her Passion will be useful for once.

Yui points at the creature and focuses her mind, channeling the Passion within. Even to her untrained eyes, the small difference in speed is slowly visible.

“You!” The creature noticed how slow have it become. “What have you done!?”

The assassin took the chance to press her attack, but with a small knife there is not much damage she can do with the creature being smart enough to cover its heart with its arm. How long they can keep doing this? Yui watch how the assassin make use of the seats and handrails, using them as a footing or to do all sorts of creative acrobatic attacks.

The train passed by a signal lamp, the light switched to green, bringing forth a better idea.

“Hold it in place!” Yui shouted.

“What!?”

Yui is too busy to chase after time to answer, making her way inside the fortunately unlocked control room. Everything looked foreign to her, but she should be able to make educated guess with the small labels placed next to the buttons and what not. Their train lets out a whistle, and Yui could see the shadow of the train from the other direction.

That’s her cue.

“Hold on to something!” Yui shouted, before pulling down the lever with “speed” and “brake” label. After the train came to a sudden stop, she hurriedly pressed the door button, opening all the doors. The train from the other side is approaching fast. “Kick it!”

But it seems that Yui doesn’t have to shout, as the assassin have already onto it. She stepped onto a chair, leaping into the handrail above before launching a kick toward the still-disoriented creature. It got pushed just in time to be smashed by the other train, a loud crash that stopped the other train from operating.

The assassin jumped out of the train before Yui could stop her, all she can do was to follow her. She stood in front of the mangled mess of the front car, the creature stuck within it, visibly injured and possibly dying. The still beating core is wide open, and yet the assassin seems to hesitate.

“You kept failing.” It goaded. “Are you going to fail in this too?”

“Kill me,  _ they  _ will kill you next anyway.” The creature continued. “Or perhaps you will end yourself? Not like you have anywhere else to go, right?”

“It’s feeding on your hesitation. Your doubt, your negative feelings.” Yui said, noticing how the creature’s injury seems to mend with every words it said. “It will recover soon.”

“Its saying the truth.” The assassin approached the creature, eyes locked on the core. “Even if I kill it and escape from this place, I can never escape from  _ them _ .”

“‘Them’? Who are they?” Yui pursued.

“Powerful people, organizations, working in the shadow. You don’t understand.” The assassin shook her head.

“Well, I’m trying to.” Yui huffed. “It’s definitely have something to do with you being sent to tail and kill me. Which is great! Because that means my investigation is proceeding down the correct path, as I clearly have ruffled some feathers.”

“You are insane.”

“Come with me.” Yui offered. “I want to know what you know, and I could use your skills to protect me.”

There is a look of surprise on the assassin’s face, as well as flash of brightness and positivity. She took a better grip of her knife, proceeding to strike the final hit. The core cracked and broke, emitting a loud ringing voice. The assassin screamed in pain, as their whole surrounding distort, and seemingly dissipates. When there is nothing left but white empty space, the ringing disappears, while the assassin fell down.

She’s unfortunately unconscious, as that means Yui have to carry her all the way to the exit, the same door they entered in. A light in the distance caught her attention, a piece of reflective material that seemed to be mirror, floating in the space not so far from where they are. Yui wondered what could it be, but for now she have to bring them out of here.

“... With all respect, I’m not drunk, officer. My friend entered this weird door and-- Yui!” Risa turned off her phone, and hurriedly come to help them. “Is this the assassin?”

“Yeah.” Yui tiredly answered, suddenly she just feel so drained. The door behind then quietly closes, and as sudden as how it appears, disappear into thin air. So much for finding out what that mirror was, then. “Risa, let’s go home.”

\----

“Journalist by day and hero by night, isn’t that… romantic?” Kumi tacked a laugh at the end before rounding the last corner in the neighborhood. “It’s just so  _ novel _ .”

The Nissan Note with slight scratch marks (that Kumi hadn’t fixed for a while now) was the only car in the area, pacing sullenly at the dead of the morning. Mirei was half-asleep in the backseat and opted to not comment further.

So Kyoko did the replying, “Aren’t we also?”

“We’re the  _ anti- _ heroes that die by the end of the story, that die like dogs without a single biopic made about us.”

Kyoko peered outside the window. The bile in her throat grew swollen. “If we die there, who’s going to drag our corpses out of the theater for some improper burial?”

“The journalist and her friends.”

“Neat…”

The apartment complex Kumi made to be their hideout of some kind fancied itself in a snug neighborhood for the upper crusts in wealth. Kumi found the place after a serial murderer butchered  _ at least  _ five people there and the price for one unit was at an all time low. When Kumi asked her if she would like the unit beside theirs, she politely declined with all the commendable righteousness of someone masking the distaste of living in a prim-looking butcher house. 

At the time, Mirei half-jokingly said: “C’mon, Kyoko. Ghosts and curses just don’t compare to the things we’ve  _ seen _ !”

Still…

Kumi smoothly parked the car and Kyoko lightly shook Mirei to wake the youngest of the three up. The walk to the lobby was silent aside from Mirei’s nigh-inaudible mumbles. 

Until they spotted a familiar face in the lobby. At the dead of 2 AM where everyone sane should be in their room.

“Shiho?!” 

Kato Shiho looked up from her phone as she launched herself off her seat along, her other hand carrying a paper bag. “God, I’ve been waiting for an hour! You both weren’t answering.” 

Kumi directed their pack to the elevator while Mirei pushed the button for them. Desolate as it was at 2 AM, the elevator opened with a deafening  _ ding _ , as Kumi ushered the other three inside, “Sorry, we were all out of battery. But why are you  _ here _ ? It’s 2 AM.”

There was a slight pause, but it wasn’t as noticeable because they were all fighting drowsiness and the elevator dinged at the fifth floor soon after. Shiho didn’t speak until they were three steps outside.

“Just wanna drop by my favorite girls.” She brought the paper bag up. “With some sweets I got from the Kyoto trip.”

As they entered the  _ Sasaki _ unit, Kyoko watched over Shiho’s back.

They were childhood friends, the three of them - Kumi, Shiho, and Kyoko, a trio of lost souls sailing through the three years packed with youthful tears and laughter frozen in time. The only difference was that Shiho was largely uninvolved in the grand agenda of Pure White Justice, and it was  _ kind of  _ amazing that both her and Kumi could somehow keep Shiho out of it through all these years without Shiho even slightly suspecting them of running a shady anti-crime Robin Hood-esque organization behind her back.

But then again, all the sneaking around wasn’t that much of an impossible task. As the years went by, Shiho grew busier, and a rift formed between her and the other two: social butterfly Kato Shiho who was an aficionado in the slow, arduous climb of the corporate ladder.  _ And _ she had a boyfriend to boot. Kyoko and Kumi had met him several times over the three years their relationship spanned.

He was a good guy with a top-tier looks and poise. They made a good couple, and they seemed happy with each other.

So, naturally, the time spent between the three of them had… diminished into several meet-ups that first had to go through a barrage of cancellations to adjust to Shiho’s tight schedule.

Kyoko claimed a spot on one end of Kumi’s coach. Shiho hogged the other end. Mirei had surrendered herself to the room as soon as they arrived, so that left the three of them while Kumi got themselves a glass of water each.

“Kyoookooo, turn the aircon up, I’m grilling.” Shiho called out in a dramaticized wail. 

Kyoko stretched a light kick to Shiho’s end. “Go look for the remote yourself. It’s  _ your  _ fault you have that thick ass black turtleneck on, I’m sweating just  _ looking _ at you.”

Shiho’s eyes seemed to be finding the ceiling morbidly interesting. “It looks good on me.”

Kumi intercepted from the floor, chin on her sleek coffee table, “Don’t think we’ve seen you with long sleeves often, much less turtlenecks. Kyoko’s right though,  _ that  _ looks hot as hell… not in the titillating sense.”

“Turtlenecks make me look smarter. And you’re right that it’s hot, in  _ the _ titillating sense.”

Kumi let out a disagreeing hum and Kyoko followed it up with a playful kick to her upper arm.

The playful, light kick pulled out an uncharacteristically loud yelp from Shiho. Kyoko sat up in surprise. “Sorry. What the heck?”

A hand over the spot Kyoko kicked (more like,  _ poked _ ), Shiho eyed her, wide-eyed. “Nah, it’s okay, I slept on the wrong side.”

“Sure… sorry. Rough week at work?”

“Kind of. Remember the sales girl I told you about the other day? She…”

As they went on the most mundane form of conversation, Kyoko found it hard to deny the buffeting stare Kumi had on Shiho ever since the turtleneck was brought up, and the stare hardened to something of suspicion the moment Kyoko’s light kick erupted a much bigger response from Shiho than expected.

She had always been rather bad at guesswork on Kumi’s thought, but tonight she had the faintest of idea.

The doorbell rang. At fifteen minutes before 3 AM.

Shiho glanced at the clock on the wall. “What kind of zombie guest are we getting?” 

They watched as Kumi dragged her steps to the door, checking the screen for her digital peephole.

“Zombie boyfriend,” she replied, cryptic.

Well, out of the three (and four with Mirei) of them, only Shiho had a boyfriend…

Kyoko shot her a look. “What the  _ fuck _ is your boyfriend doing at this hour?”

But Shiho had her head thrown towards the door, and Kyoko couldn’t see what her face had contorted into. And before she could crawl over to Shiho’s side, the latter had walked towards the door in noticeably hurried steps. Kyoko had no choice but to follow after.

The door had been opened and stood outside the room was Kimura-san, Shiho’s good-looking, well-mannered boyfriend with a slightly unruly hair. He was subtly sweating.

“Tadao-kun,”

His voice was steady, “Shiho,” his eyes wavered away from Shiho slightly as if scanning his surroundings, “you weren’t in your flat. I drove there.”

“Yeah…”

“You weren’t answering my calls either, so I got worried. Say something, won’t you, I - I looked all over for you…”

His countenance softened and along with it came Shiho’s softly voiced apology of  _ sorry _ s. He didn’t quickly answer, and Kyoko noticed that he was catching his breath.

So Kyoko capitalized on the ensuing silence. “Did something happen?”

Kimura shifted his weight on the other leg. “It’s late. Let’s head back, Shiho.”

Oh, how she was largely ignored…

For a split half-minute, Shiho looked unsure, and for a split second, Kyoko caught onto the way Shiho’s eyes flitted from Kumi’s tight face to Kyoko’s angled brows.

But no action was done, and they all stood in a checkmate.

“Right, I - yeah, it’s like, what? 3 AM?” Shiho laughed. “Let me just get my purse in a sec.”

Kumi just had to point out the obvious, “You didn’t bring any.” 

“Oh. Oh, you’re right.” Shiho walked to her boyfriend’s side. “See you girls later then.”

Kumi nodded… at her boyfriend. “Yeah. Good night, drive safe.”

Soon after the door clicked, the silence felt crushingly loud. Kyoko went back into the unit while Kumi’s walk was slower and much more deliberative.

“Guess they had a fight.”

“Yeah.” Kumi nodded at her proposal. “You need to scan a key card in the elevator to go to the floor other than the lobby, though. He needed a key card to be able to get on the fifth floor.”

“The emergency stairs, maybe?”

Kumi toppled onto the couch and fished for a phone from her pants pocket. A different one from her usual smartphone, much cheaper, much older in model. Kyoko knew what it stood for: her business phone. The  _ business  _ phone was brought up to her ear as Kumi waited for the other end to pick up.

“Kumi…?”

“Two men - should be enough to keep an eye on them, right? They won’t interfere. Just so we know what’s up.”

“Control freak.”

“My eyes,” Kumi pointed to her own nasal bridge, “allow no room for a blind spot. Especially when it concerns my friends. I’d do that for you, too. Miipan. Hinano-chan.”

“Fill me in later.”

“On what?”

“On the details you caught onto.”

“‘Kay.”

“Control freak…” Kyoko pushed Kumi’s glass of water her way, water full and untouched unlike her and Shiho’s half-emptied glasses. “Calm down, will you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> odayaka: and the plot thickens............ also dont worry the universe (passion, the underworld theatre, etc) will be explained in the later chapter(s)

**Author's Note:**

> odayaka: hello. ill be writing the hinatazaka side/portions and admittedly its been a while since ive written anything so ive gone superrrr rusty, but we’ve planned (most) of the entire plot together so hopefully we can finish through this as we cope with everything that happened sobs
> 
> firststar: same mood but in keyakizaka's side/portions. there will be a lot of action scenes, especially the ones inspired by persona. i hope we can write the scene in our head well enough!


End file.
